September 2nd, 1993
"Audrey, would you please stop bouncing?" Daphne, as always, was upset with me for some reason or another, you could never really know for sure why she was annoyed: if it was really your doing or if she just decided to hate the world for the day. Today, it seemed that I was too happy for her taste. I was only so happy thanks to the fact that lunch had ended without incident and now we were starting to venture outside in the warm autumn air – it was like a break of its own, even though we were headed to a class.
Then again, the class was probably half of my excitement.
Last night, when Dumbledore had announced that the man from Harry's compartment was our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher I had not been surprised. It was odd to see a teacher ride the express, sure, but like both years before this we had needed a new professor for that class. When I heard, however, that we would be getting Hagrid as a new teacher for a class that involved caring for magical creatures? Well, to say I felt shocked would be redundant. And to say that I felt like I was finally in my element was an understatement.
"That Trelawney is barmy, don't you think?" Daphne continued on our slow procession toward Hagrid's hut. I was, of course, leading them as after two years they were still made nervous by the large man so they'd never wanted to come with me to visit him.
"Barmy is one word," Theo could barely contain his smile while he sniggered. "I think she's suicidal considering how she handled Audrey today."
"Who flicks a student's forehead?" I burst, remembering the interaction bitterly as I placed my fingers to my forehead. "I mean, all that 'having the Sight' stuff was hilarious, sure, but there was no need for authoritative abuse."
"You were talking through her lecture," Theodore pointed out.
"Well, yes, I was asking for some peppermint to chew until I could get up to the infirmary. It's not my fault I get migraines, Theodore." I was indignant, sure, but why shouldn't I be? It was ridiculous that some batty old teacher had flicked me in the forehead talking about my third eye and scolding me for trying to use peppermint when I should be embracing my pain. "She's a loon."
"But an easy grade," Theodore pointed out again. Daphne and I both hummed our approval, skipping down the steps to the forest where we could see the rest of the class starting to gather. We were not the last there, luckily, but I was also glad we weren't the first. As much as I loved Hagrid, I would not want to have to juggle my mutual friends with Harry against the friends who share my daily schedule.
"There's your brother, oh, hi Harry!" Daphne, not so subtly, had a slight fancy for my brother. I don't think she would ever consider anything with him if he returned the interest, but I think a part of her got off on the idea of seducing a famous hero who saved the school from a basilisk last year.
"Er – hi, Daphne," Harry looked at me awkwardly, prompting me to roll my eyes. "So, that Divination class..."
"Rubbish," Hermione butted in with a frown. "It's a useless class, so much less interesting than Ancient Ruins and Arithmancy."
"By the way, how are you managing all that?" I asked, having looked over her schedule this morning at breakfast. "I mean, do you really plan to miss some classes on certain days so that you can go to others – it'll just set you behind, won't it?"
"I'll be able to work it out," Hermione assured, turning back to the door of Hagrid's hut where he was waiting for the rest of the Slytherins to join him.
"What kinds of things do you think we'll be learning?" I asked Harry, not quite able to contain my excitement. He even laughed at me, rubbing my arm a little bit.
"I don't know, Audrey," Hermione butted in again. "But it's nice to finally see you enthusiastic about your studies."
"Oh, come off it," I snorted dismissively, "I always enjoy the classes that prove any worth to me. Such as Potions."
"And?" Ron raised an eyebrow. I pretended to think about my answer for a moment.
"Nope, just potions."
By the time the rest of my house was in sight of Hagrid's large – and yet quite small – hut, he looked about as excited and impatient as I was, waving them over with a booming voice.
"C'mon, now, get a move on! Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here?" He waited a moment while the rest of the Slytherins that had slowed their pace rebelliously came into the group of us. "Right, follow me!"
There was a moment, a horrifying moment, where most of us froze, watching as he began to head toward the Forbidden Forest. Considering my experiences of the last two years in those woods, I refused to enter unless I was being forced by detention or by some horrifying monster chasing after me. Until such time that were to happen...again...I planned to keep my feet placed firmly on the ground here.
When Hagrid clipped the edge of the trees, staying closer to the edge of the grounds and not going within the thicket, I began to follow him with the Gryffindors who were pretending like they didn't mind. Gryffindors were so brave, apparently, though I usually wasn't around when it happened. After a long few moments – filled with complaints from Daphne and the Slytherins behind us – he had led us to a large pen made of splintering wood and old wire. Inside was ripe grass and trotted-on flowers...but nothing else.
"Everyone gather 'round the fence here," Hagrid called to us. "That's it – make sure yeh can see – now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books-"
"How?" The drawl, as it always did, came from Malfoy who was standing over on the other side of the enclosure's fencing, holding his Monster Book of Monster's at arm's length with a sneer. He had bound it with rope, while most people had theirs belted. I pulled my book out, held together by with a thin black belt. Even Harry beside me, as much as we disliked him, seemed to echo that thought. "How do we open our books?"
"Hasn' – hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" Hagrid asked, looking completely put out by the lack of response. I was about to raise my hand, as I had figured out how to just three nights prior after cooing it to sleep, but Daphne gave me such a fierce glare that I put my hand back down.
Right. Sometimes I forgot her loathing of individuality.
"Yeh've got ter stroke 'em," Hagrid told as if it were the simplest answer ever. Even I was shocked with that, considering where I had tried petting had only made it snap at me more. "Look."
Hagrid took hold of Hermione's book and peeled off the Spellotape around the teeth. The book went to bite at him, as all the books would when someone attempted to open them, but before it had the chance Hagrid ran a finger down the book's spine causing the furry cover to shiver and open itself quietly within his hand.
"Oh, how silly we've all been!" Malfoy's sarcasm was biting. "We should have stroked them! Why didn't we guess?"
"I – I thought they were funny," Hagrid said to himself quietly, looking as if someone had just taken away his damn puppy. Apparently the giant knew how to give a damn impressive guilt trip because even I felt bad for the sarcasm. I gave him a gentle tap on the hand.
"Oh, tremendously funny!" Malfoy continued sharply. "Really witty, giving us books that try and rip our hands off!"
"I happened to think it was funny," I spat back promptly, my glare aimed past Hagrid to my daily annoyance. "After all, it was funny seeing dopes like you get bitten when you tried to abuse the poor thing."
"'Poor thing'?" Malfoy scoffed. "It's a man-eating book, Potter. A book that hates to be open? How is that funny by any standards?"
"It's funny because it almost ripped your hand off," I repeated. "And it's a poor thing because it actually did have to bite you – I hope your book's not diseased." I turned to Hagrid with an enthusiastic – yet still sarcastic – grin. "I'd really like to know what we're learning about today, professor, before we're rudely interrupted again."
"Righ' then," Hagrid cleared his throat, he'd lost his pace and looked very self conscious thanks to all of Malfoy's complaints. "So – so yeh've got yer books an'...an'...now yeh need the Magical Creatures. Yeah. So I'll go an' get 'em. Hang on..."
Hagrid, looking red in the face, turned around to walk around the fencing and a bit further into the Forbidden Forest than any of us wanted to even look.
"God, this place is going to the dogs," Malfoy scowled after him. "That oaf teaching classes, my father'll have a fit when I tell him-"
"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry hissed.
"The only reason this place is going to the dogs is because they let mutts like you and Parkinson in here," I hissed looking over to the pug-faced girl who was literally waiting for the best moment to grasp onto Malfoy's arm – which she did as soon as she was addressed.
"Audrey," Daphne groaned taking a step away from me so as to avoid any confrontation involving her and her alternative pureblood posse. Theodore made a sound in his throat and turned his head away – I knew he would back me if he needed to, but he was not one for confrontation of any kind if he could avoid it. Myself, however...
"Methe mutt?" Parkinson repeated. "That's rich, coming from a halfblood!"
"Careful, Potter," Malfoy smirked toward Harry. "There's a Dementor behind you-"
"Oooooooh!" Lavender Brown, a mousy but quirky girl had broken the tension between us by dragging our attention toward what must have been our lesson for the day.
Across the paddock, coming forward at a trot, were a bunch of...of...Hippogriffs? I had never seen a Hippogriff or a griffin, but I knew that both had avian heads while one was made of lion-esc features and the other horse – I just wasn't sure which was which.
These particular creatures had the hind quarters of a horse with the front legs, wings and head of an eagle. The long, curved talons looked closer to a dinosaur claw than anything I had seen in the human world and their orange eyes reminded me of bright sunsets.
"Gee up, there!" Hagrid yelled, shaking chains that I noticed were attached to leather collars around each of their necks. The creatures started trotting toward the fence where we were all gathered, most taking a step back – a few of us more curious ones leaning closer toward them, watching as he tied them up.
"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid smiled to all of us, showing off the Hippogriffs in the pasture with a proud swoop of his arm. "Beau'iful, aren' they?"
And they were. Sure, the Hippogriff's were shocking thanks to their size and I'm sure some people were distracted by the orange eyes, but they were really quite stunning. Their movements were more fluid than a horse's – must have come from their eagle parts – and they almost shone with a – dare I say? – gentleness that had to have come from the horse.
They were amazing.
"So," Hagrid gave a nervous sort of clap, "if yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer..."
I doubt that Hagrid looking nervous had done anyone any good, but thanks to Malfoy I could tell that the giant had been thrown a bit off his game. Because of this, I pressed my belly against the fencing, seeing out of my peripheral that Theodore had come forward only a step and Harry, Ron and Hermione had come forward to rest their palms against the fence. Hagrid seemed to think that was good enough.
"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' Hippogriffs is, they're proud," Hagrid nodded to make sure everyone was listening. "Easily offended, Hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do."
A whisper came from somewhere behind me, but I pointedly ignored it. I didn't want Hagrid to see me looking away and think that I wasn't interested – not that I really cared about his ego, but I worried that he may not want to continue the lesson if he felt to hurt, which was the last thing I wanted...this was the one class I wanted to pay attention in. Potions was almost boring now that I knew it inside out and this was new and something I could really relate to. I needed Hagrid to be on top of his game.
"Yeh always wait fer the Hippogriff ter make the firs' move," Hagrid continued. "It's polite, see? Yeh walk toward him, and yeh bow, an' yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh're allowed ter touch him. If he doesn' bow, then get away from him sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt. Right – who wants ter go first?"
There was a general consensus throughout the class that no one wanted to risk getting near a Hippogriff. I looked behind me to see the class had stepped back even farther toward Hagrid's cabin and Harry, Ron and Hermione were looking to each other with anxious expressions. It could have been because the Hippogriff's were flexing their wings and making a squealing kind of sound – but I think it was mostly thanks to their size.
"No one?" Hagrid looked about ready to cry again.
Lucky for him I was too excited to be terrified.
"Can I do it?" I asked him, raising my hand slightly so I could draw all the attention on myself. I hoped that those stupid Gryffindors – you know the oh-so-brave ones – felt a little bit embarrassed by being showed up by the girl in green.
"Well, of course yeh can, Audrey!" Hagrid beamed, motioning me forward. I bent down and squeezed myself between the horizontal beams of the wooden fence. I heard a couple people whispering and a very distinct groan and complaint from Daphne behind me, but I didn't show any attention toward it while I moved toward Hagrid who stopped me with a motion of his hand.
"Here, Buckbeak 'ere is the one yeh'll get 'long with best, I'd bet," Hagrid untied one of the chains, pulling out a gray Hippogriff and leading him toward me. I watched the Hippogriff as he came forward, eyes automatically glued to mine. He had a wonderful colour eyes, more amber than orange like some of his cohorts, it reminded me of Circe.
"Perfect, Audrey. Easy, easy, yeh've got to keep eye contact. Hippogriff's trust tha'," Hagrid informed me quietly. I didn't have problems keeping eye contact with the Hippogriff, he was very interesting and, like most animals, I could tell that he was very interested in me.
"Hello, there," I said quietly. I knew talking in a full voice may startle him. I'm sure he wasn't used to having humans not be scared of him. "I'm Audrey."
Students in the class had reverted to whispering again. Buckbeak's head slightly twitched toward them, his eyes not leaving mine, I could tell he didn't like the whispers.
"Alrigh', Audrey, tha's right. Now bow," Hagrid explained. I gave the Hippogriff a smile before bending down at my hips and keeping my eyes down. I knew that if I peaked he would probably consider it rude – hell, I'd probably consider it rude – it's not like I like it when people stare either. And people stare all the time when you're a Potter.
"Well done, Audrey!" I dared to look up thanks to the pride in Hagrid's voice. The Hippogriff, Buckbeak, had sunk into a very low bow, its beak almost touching the ground with the steepness of it. When I had straightened from my bow, the Hippogriff straightened from his own.
"Thank you," I said to it with a grin. The Hippogriff pawed the ground twice and reared its head a bit, making some of the students gasp. I couldn't help but giggle – maybe some people couldn't tell, but any animal who does that was trying to play.
"Yeh can touch him now, Audrey. Go on, he likes yeh, I can tell!" The pride in Hagrid's voice was almost palpable, which I had not heard from him in reference to me since that first year in Diagon Alley. It was almost...what? Sweet?
Ugh, I think I'm getting sentimental.
I took slow steps forward, whether Buckbeak had accepted my friendship or not I'm sure he wouldn't like it if I ran toward him and hugged him like my instinct was pretty much telling me to do. I went up to him, hand outstretched, and waited for him to make that last step to come to me before he began curling into my hand and...was he purring?
"Oh, well done, Audrey! Well done! Ten points for Slytherin!" Hagrid gave a clap, watching as some of the others clapped along with him. I moved from Buckbeak's beak to petting him behind his head which made his wings flare out and shake happily. He was adorable!
"I reckon he might let you ride him, Audrey-" Hagrid began but I pulled my hand away.
"No," I said quickly, shaking my head toward Hagrid. Buckbeak let out a bit of a screech, causing half of the students behind me to jump and yell, but when I put my hand out again, just like with my kneazle, he began to cuddle back into it. Apparently Buckbeak did not like losing attention. "I'm sorry, Hagrid, but I don't fly."
"Yeh've never flown on a Hippogriff," Hagrid pointed out, I shook my head.
"Sorry Hagrid, I like my feet on the ground." I jerked my head in the direction my brother had been. "But I bet some of our Quidditch jocks back there would love to show off their skills."
I heard Malfoy curse under his breath and heard Harry let out some sort of groan. Hagrid looked around the students, looking for any volunteers.
"I'll do it," Harry almost groaned out.
"Oooh, no, Harry, remember your tea leaves!" Lavender and Parvati whispered. I tried not to roll my eyes as I thought back to my brother's tea leaves being read by that batty teacher who had dared to flick me and then tell my brother he had the Grimm in his future. I had not seen a black dog when I'd grabbed the cup from Ron. I saw wasted tea – but maybe that was just me.
"Good man, Harry!" Hagrid smiled, looking relieved that the lesson was not about to end. "Right then – let's leave Buckbeak out and see how yeh get on with him. Audrey?"
I frowned, not really wanting to separate myself from the Hippogriff before I stopped petting him and gave him a slight bow again. He gave a low one in return, making a low sound in his mouth that sounded almost like a coo.
"This is my brother," I told him quietly. "Please be nice."
"Easy now, Harry," said Hagrid quietly. "Remember yeh've got eye contact, now try not ter blink...Hippogriffs don' trust yeh if yeh blink too much...Tha's it, tha's it, Harry...now, bow."
Though my brother looked terrified to do it, he stiffly bent his back and hunched in front of Buckbeak, his eyes keeping close on him the entire time. Buckbeak did not move.
"Ah," Hagrid sounded almost scared. "Right – back away, now, Harry. Easy does it-"
Buckbeak turned a look to me and I snapped my eyes to my brother and slightly bowed my head to the Hippogriff, trying to get him to bow to my brother and be kind. With another sound in the back of his throat, Buckbeak sank into a bow – not nearly as low as he had for me, but it seemed like he had gotten the idea. I smiled at the two of them.
"Well done, Harry!" said Hagrid, ecstatic, clapping again. I followed in and clapped loudly to influence others to follow the lead. "Right – yeh can touch him! Pat his beak, go on!"
Though Harry's hand shook on the way to Buckbeak's beak, I watched as he patted the long beak and how Buckbeak's eyes closed lazily as if he were actually being massaged. Good, he liked him. Not as much as he liked me, of course, but he liked him. The class broke into applause again, all except for our Slytherin trio of morons – Dragonpox, Crabs and Gonorrhea – whose scowls were all matched.
"Righ' then, Harry," said Hagrid. "I reckon he migh' let yeh ride him!"
I frowned a little bit, feeling a sting of jealousy while Hagrid helped hoist my brother onto Buckbeak's back. The Hippogriff let out an impatient call as he waited, stamping his foot on the ground. I knew I probably should have taken the chance, the Hippogriff did like me, I just didn't think I would be able to fly again – last time it had been into the whomping willow and I didn't want to go through a mistake like that again, particularly for some joyride that I didn't know how to steer. At least with a broom or an enchanted car you had some method of control...
"Go on, then!" Hagrid encouraged giddily, hitting Buckbeak's rear until he began going.
"That should be you," Theodore whispered at my side. I nodded, not taking my eyes off of Buckbeak as he became airborne.
"It's Harry doing it instead, so isn't everything?" Everything Harry did was supposed to be an option for me too. We were twins, we both lived past that night...but no, Harry got everything, didn't he? Even to show me up by riding the goddamn Hippogriff when I said I wouldn't.
Yes, that makes you brave, brother.
The giant wings on either side of the Hippogriff moved powerfully, as he shot both he and Harry around the air before there was any time for my brother to consider differently. Harry did not look comfortable as the Hippogriff moved around the paddock, staying only ten feet off the ground before coming in for a landing that was not quite smooth. It jerked Harry forward, nearly making him topple over the Hippogriff's head before he managed to straighten up.
"Good work, Harry!" Hagrid smiled, everyone was clapping – save the Slytherin owl droppings. I managed to clap my hands a few times for him...I was admittedly a tiny bit jealous because he had gotten to do what I had not, I was even more jealous that he had done it in what looked like an effort to show off after my own accomplishments with meeting the Hippogriff. I don't know what I had expected – a twenty-five foot ascend, a path straight into the Forbidden forest, a sommersault in the air – but I hadn't expected a simple swoop around the fixture. Even I could have done something like that.
"Okay, who else wants to go?"
Apparently now that the other kids were excited, they were now also brave. Most students climbed into the enclosure now, picking a Hippogriff for cliques to bow to and fawn over. Neville didn't seem to have much luck, so I took the time to help him learn how to bow and not run away during it so that his Hippogriff would like him more – I was successful.
"Oh great," I mumbled, turning around after helping the Gryffindor to see that Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle and been the ones who had moved on to Buckbeak. I don't quite understand what animals like about Dungbomb Malfoy, but more seemed to prefer him than didn't, even after Buckbeak had bowed back to him and Malfoy glared at him darkly.
"This is very easy," Malfoy was sure to flicker his eyes toward Harry while he said it. "I knew it must have been, if the Potters could do it...I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you? Are you, you great ugly brute?"
"Malfoy!" I gasped, seeing the darkening of Buckbeak's eyes. Just as I was about to run forward, because even Malfoy was unnerved by the urgency in my tone, Buckbeak had bent back it's mighty arm and swiped determinedly at Malfoy, who had luckily started to back away after I'd yelled at him. Still, the Hippogriff hit his mark, catching Malfoy in the arm, blood seeping through his robes as he rolled over on the grassy expanse.
"I'm dying!" Malfoy yelled as everyone in the class began to panic, running away from their Hippogriff's which all were not taking well to the mass reaction against them. I moved to Buckbeak quickly, holding him back without needing to bow – I knew I wouldn't need to considering he liked me, just as all animals did – and slowly moving him back away from the scene. "I'm dying, look at me! It's killed me!"
"Yer not dyin'!" Hagrid said quickly, looking near terrified. I had to wonder how bad the damage was for him to look so nervous – had the claw caught Malfoy in the chest while it moved from his arm? The talon was a half foot long, but even Buckbeak had to know that the insult wasn't that bad. "Someone help me – gotta get him outta here-"
Hermione ran to the gate to move it open so that Hagrid could lift Malfoy out of there easily. He sent a look to me, one with terrified, wide eyes. I looked at Malfoy and shook my head, there was nothing I could – or would – do to comfort him when this was his own damn fault. Instead, I moved to Buckbeak again.
"Right git, inn'e?" I asked him as I pet him, the Hippogriff just closed his eyes happily. "You just got yourself in a lot of trouble, you know. I can tell this isn't the last we've heard from him. If there is anyone you can't piss off without consequences, it's Draco Malfoy."
The next time I saw Malfoy was when he sauntered into class a week later, halfway through potions. It's not like I hadn't heard very detailed analysis about each hour of his recovery thanks to the blatherings of Pansy Parkinson, but seeing him covered in a bandage and sling with the puffed of chest of a tough man made me think that he was laying it on a little thick in comparison to his usual performances.
"How is it, Draco?" Parkinson whispered when he took a seat in front of me, right behind Pansy Parkinson. He stuck Crabbe beside him, pulling him away from Goyle who now had to make this period's potion alone. "Does it hurt much?"
"Yeah," Malfoy gave a grimace that was so fake, I could have seen it used better by a four year old who got his hand hit for digging in the cookie jar. He turned to Crabbe and winked at him when Pansy had turned to whisper to Millicent.
"Ugh, idiot," I whispered, feeling my face warm up uncomfortably. It was almost humiliating the way he treated girls like that – did he really think he would get what he wanted? We were thirteen, we had morals...
Well, most of us did, anyway.
"Settle down, settle down," Professor Snape's voice quieted the group again. Apparently everyone was interested in Malfoy's great return.
I turned behind me to Harry and Ron, scowling with the two of them. Snape walked over to my desk, glaring over Theodore so that I could tell he was warning me not to make a scene. I frowned a little bit more – I was very displeased with this entire situation.
"Sir," Malfoy called, taking Snape's attention from me. "Sir, I'll need help cutting up the daisy roots, because of my arm-"
"Weasley, cut up Malfoy's roots for him," Snape didn't even pause or consider before he ordered Ron about, though his eyes did flicker to me. I was sure to make it obvious how much I disliked the favouritism for my least favourite housemate.
Ron spluttered for a moment before Malfoy turned in his seat, looking past where I was to where Ron sat directly behind me and giving him a victorious smirk.
"There's nothing wrong with your arm," Ron hissed to him.
"Weasley, you heard Professor Snape; cut up these roots."
I hissed as he made a scene about trying to grab the roots and pass them to Ron, I took them from him harshly and shoved them toward Ron, checking on my own potion which, of course, was brewing perfectly. Theodore had asked if he could take the reins on this Shrinking Solution, which I was fine with letting him do, though I still couldn't help being over-observant thanks to my perfectionism in this class.
Being a genius can be such a curse.
"Professor," Malfoy drawled, looking past me to Ron again. "Weasley's mutilating my roots, sir."
Snape came up behind me, taking a long look at the roots that Ron had hastily cut. It was true, they were a terrible job, but they still would have worked in the potion if you would have used an extra half cup more milkweed at the end of the potion with an added two stir rotation clockwise...
See? Curse.
"Change roots with Malfoy, Weasley." Snape may have been my favourite, but he really didn't show any mercy...then again, it was half of what I liked about him.
"But sir-"
"Now." Snape seemed satisfied as he saw Ron pull up his cutting board and so he walked away, before he could do that, I took the cutting board from him.
"Here," I switched cutting boards, giving it to Ron and putting our own daisy roots on Malfoy's table in front of us, considering they were cut perfectly.
"At least I knew how to fix a dodgy mistake like ill-cut roots," I said to Malfoy darkly. "If you had any real talent in the class, you'd be able to work circles around an injured arm – particularly when it isn't actually injured."
Malfoy pursed his lips, not breaking eye contact with me.
"And sir, I'll need this shrivelfig skinned," when he saw my eyes widen angrily, he began shaking with laughter. What. An. Arse.
"Potter, you can skin Malfoy's shrivelfig," Snape growled, stopping at the table behind me, likely to glare at Harry. I sighed, I could almost feel the rage boiling off my brother.
"Right," I ground through my teeth again, reaching over the table and past Malfoy to grab his shrivelfig from off his table. When I pulled back I purposely avoided eye contact even when I heard Snape hum lowly.
"I meant mister Potter," he said pointedly. I frowned.
"Well, you didn't really specify, did you? Besides, I can do it better," Snape just frowned at me. "If you really want fewer ruined potions in this class, professor, I suggest you don't have them made by enemies. We don't need any more explosions," as if on instinct, all of us looked over to place a wary eye on Seamus Finnegan's potion, which he looked very hectic over. I just hoped he wouldn't make anything explode today, I was wearing my good shoes.
Seamus Finnegan had grown cuter over this past summer. He looked much more grown up now that his cheeks were starting to hollow out and this entire first week back from holidays he'd been sending me these little grins that I couldn't quite decode...it was both nice and frustrating not being able to understand what those little grins meant.
I saw Malfoy turn back to look at me, his eyes blazing and glaring through me as I turned my head again to hide my flushed cheeks. It's not like I really understood why I was flushed, I think it had something to do with remembering the way Finnegan smiled at me. Or maybe it could be because the blonde's eyes were drilling through my skin as if I'd done something to personally offend him – which I hadn't...yet...today.
When I risked a glance up, Malfoy looked furious. Maybe it wasn't that I'd personally offended him, maybe it was simply that I was not the one he wanted skinning his shrivelfig. I couldn't think of anything else beside our mutual hatred that warranted such a dark stare. Snape looked between the two of us suspiciously, apparently he didn't trust me to skin it right or he worried if he turned his back we'd hex each other. Which, I guess was a fair assumption...even though both my enemy and my favourite professor still kept awkwardly glaring at me as I did my job – flawlessly. Not that there wasn't pressure on it.
As I went to place his shrivelfig back, Malfoy watched me the whole way. It was awkward, being so close to the git and having him stare at me the entire time. I turned my face toward him, feeling awkward when I could see the tips of our noses so close.
"What?" I snapped.
"Good job, Potter."
I frowned, going back into my seat and giving him a glare as I instructed Theodore to put in the shrivelfig he had just taken the time to skin. Even though I had told Nott that he could do the potion, I couldn't help but tell him how to out of my annoyance.
"Seen your pal Hagrid lately?" Malfoy waited for Snape to leave before striking up an argument. Good choice, he probably knew that if anyone could convince Snape to punish him, it was me.
"None of your business," Ron shot back with a glare.
"I'm afraid he won't be a teacher much longer," Malfoy sighed as if he were actually upset by the idea. "Father's not very happy about my injury-"
"I'm not surprised," I said simply. There was a moment it looked like he actually believed I was taking his side. Moron. "I mean, I was upset when I found out it wasn't life threatening, too."
Ron smiled a bit at me before nodding to Malfoy. "Exactly, keep talking, Malfoy, and I'll give you a real injury."
"See, he's complained to the school governors. And to the Ministry of Magic. Father's got a lot of influence, you know," his eyes flickered to me and I rolled my eyes. His father's blood-money-bribed-contacts were not impressive to me. "And a lasting injury like this? Who knows if my arm'll ever be the same again?"
"So that's why you're putting it on," Harry hissed. "To try and get Hagrid fired."
"Well," Malfoy leaned forward, over top of my work station. I felt the need to curl away from him when he was so close again but instead I held my ground as he smirked at me – I didn't want him to feel like he was at all intimidating. "Partly, Potter. But there are other benefits too." He raised his voice. "Weasley, slice my caterpillars for me."
While Ron got onto starting on his caterpillars, Neville on the other side of the room looked close to tears while Snape leaned over him.
"Orange, Longbottom," Snape sighed, picking some up in a ladle so that others around him could see the neon orange it had turned.
Oh, Neville; he'd put in two cat spleens...
"Orange. Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours? Didn't you hear me say, quite clearly, that only one cat spleen was needed?" Point for Audrey. "Didn't I state plainly that a dash of leech juice would suffice?" I guess that it was a runny liquid instead of thick like corn starch. "What do I have to do to make you understand, Longbottom?"
Neville was shaking now, his face pink as he tried not to think of all the students that were staring at him. Sometimes Snape could be so cruel and if Neville didn't look about to cry and he were doing it to someone like Parkinson, I'd really enjoy the show. Right now I felt near guilty.
"Please, sir," Hermione began, "please, I could help Neville put it right-"
So could I, but that wouldn't learn him anything.
"I don't remember asking you to show off, Miss Granger." And another point for Snape. See, as cruel as he was he was still logical. Snape was right: Neville had still done the potion wrong the first time, meaning if he were to start again he would not know how to do it right from the beginning and he would likely have to mess up so he could find his place back to the steps that Hermione would teach him. It's like baking two cakes so that you can eat one. Though even I was upset with Snape: Neville shouldn't have been humiliated in front of the entire class.
"Longbottom, at the end of this lesson we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what happens. Perhaps that will encourage you to do it properly." I opened my mouth to object, I knew exactly what would happen if that orange potion touched his toad and it was not something that Trevor deserved. Snape, knowingly, sent me a glare to silence me.
"Help me," Neville whispered to Hermione. I waved my hand when Snape's back was turned.
"Don't fix the potion," I hissed. Hermione looked shocked.
"But Trevor-"
"Neutralize it instead, Snape will know if you fix it," I whispered, turning my eyes toward my potions kit. Snape was walking in our direction again so I subtly placed down the number three with my fingers against the desk. Out of the corner of my eye both Hermione and Neville nodded very slightly.
Snape looked toward me suspiciously, I swear the man can read my mind sometimes, but he continued on his way and as his back turned to me I picked up a porcupine quill and showed the number three again. Hermione was quick to toss them into the cauldron, watching as slowly bubbled into a murky brown – both of us knew that this was still a toxic potion. You could tell by the sharp smell. Neville looked at me hopelessly. I held up my hand a moment to calm him down as Snape walked by us again.
With another urgent movement I held up the number two and grabbed hold of a newt tail from my kit. Neville nodded, throwing two in and watching it as it turned a lavender...well, it wasn't a right potion but at least his frog, Trevor, wouldn't be put through a poisoning.
"Well done, Audrey," Harry whispered from behind me. I smirked back at him, seeing that Malfoy had a large scowl on his face as Seamus leaned forward.
"Good job, Audrey."
"Thanks," I grinned lightly, trying unsuccessfully to stop my cheeks from burning. He was giving me that smile again, the one that made me blush. It was such a genuine smile – you didn't see things like that down in the Slytherin common room...
"So," Seamus started slowly looking at the group of us all huddled up. "Have you heard? Daily Prophet this morning – they reckon Sirius Black's been sighted."
My blood froze. I remembered seeing the cackle in his mug-shot that littered the walls of Diagon Alley – the man was clearly insane. He'd looked so pleased being convicted of murder that it made me feel nervous just thinking about him.
"Where?"
"Not too far from here," Seamus looked toward me and frowned, seeing that I was nervous. "Oh, don't worry about it, Drea. It was a muggle who saw him. 'Course, she didn't really understand. The Muggles just think he's an ordinary criminal, don't they? So she phoned the telephone hot line. By the time the Ministry of Magic got there, he was gone."
"If you're trying to comfort me, you're doing a horrid job," I told him with another frown.
"Sorry," he blushed. "You don't have anything to worry about though, Audrey. They wouldn't let anything get to you here, Hogwarts is perfectly safe. Besides, what'd he want with us? We're just kids. I expect he's after someone from his past, wouldn't you?"
"I guess," I sighed. "There's just something about him that..." ugh, even thinking about it now made my head start to pound. Something about the way that man was mentioned brought on headaches and sent up red flags. There was something missing about the story, that was obvious, but I had a horrid feeling – a very clear instinct that I couldn't think to ignore – that told me it had something to do directly with me. I was getting another horrible headache that I would need to fix soon – Trelawney had told me I should try meditating. I told her I would rather medicating. She didn't like my sass.
"Thinking of trying to catch Black single-handed, Potter?" Malfoy drawled, his eyes maliciously clashing with my brother's as he leaned across my table again.
"Do you have any understanding of personal space?" I pulled my seat father away thanks to how close he now was again, but he only responded with one of his smirks. Git.
"Yeah, that's right," Harry sneered to both Malfoy's comment and my own towards him – Harry never liked how Malfoy treated me, particularly after the events of last year when Malfoy had hounded me romantically until I'd tried to castrate him – sadly unsuccessfully. But even after all those painful memories for him and Harry's hisses mixed with my glares, Malfoy looked far too smug for this to be a simple taunting. No, there was something that he was planning and by the way his eyes flickered to me, he expected me to figure it out sooner rather than later.
"Of course, if it was me I'd have done something before now," Malfoy smirked again. "I wouldn't be in school like a good boy, I'd be out there looking for him."
"What are you talking about, Malfoy?" Ron asked with a growl.
"Don't you know, Potter?" Malfoy's eyes narrowed for a moment as he looked between my brother and I before they raised almost mockingly. "Don't either of you know?"
"Know what?" Harry asked with a sneer.
"That you're a git?" I asked. "I've always known that."
But Malfoy wasn't insulted. Instead of being insulted, Malfoy let out a low laugh that was so condescending it almost made me feel self conscious.
"Maybe you'd rather not risk your neck," he shrugged, leaning away from us a bit. "Want to leave it to the Dementors, do you? But if it was me, I'd want revenge. I'd hunt him down myself."
"Hunt down Sirius Black for what? Are you-" I began, but just as I did Snape seemed to materialize right at the side of our table.
"You should have finished adding your ingredients by now," Snape said, looking over at everyone's potions to test the colour. "This potion needs to stew before it can be drunk, so clear away while it simmers and then we'll test Longbottom's..."
Neville was shaking thanks to his nerves again. He caught my eye nervously, trying to be reassured. I nodded my head slightly. He would be okay, that potion wouldn't do anything bad now but Crabbe and Goyle laughed anyway. What idiots. As if their potion was...no, their potions were a green, not blue like they should have been. They'd never get potions right either. I sighed as I helped Theodore pack up.
"What did Malfoy mean, Audrey?" Harry asked me as we were washing our hands. "What was that about revenge on Black? He hasn't done anything to me or us yet..."
"Who knows," I sighed. "But I wouldn't worry. Malfoy likes to rile you up, Harry, and you always rise to the occasion."
"That's not true-"
"Yes, it is." I said with a roll of my eyes. "Don't blame you, right foul git he is-" Malfoy scowled as I passed him, making sure that he heard what I had to say. "But he doesn't know anything. Don't think too much on it, you'll just give him what he wants."
As we all gathered around like Snape had asked us, I saw that Neville's potion had turned just a bit darker lavender than it had been and it was not actually that different of a colour next to our stewing Shrinking Solutions.
"-watch what happens to Longbottom's toad," Snape continued. "If he has managed to produce a Shrinking Solution, it will shrink to a tadpole. If, as I don't doubt, he has done it wrong, his toad is likely to be poisoned."
Most people, who had not seen my instructions to Neville, looked terrified for him. Even Neville himself was sweating out his nerves – it was insulting he had so little faith in my skills. Snape was harsh when he picked up Trevor the toad and trickled a few drops of the lavender concoction down the toad's throat...
There was a hush that fell over the class as we all waited, waited for a shiver or the toad to go limp, even for him to disappear...but nothing happened. At least, not until Trevor hopped out of Snape's hand and back into Neville's chest.
Just as everyone from his house let out a breath of fresh air, even as Snape turned on Hermione. "Five points from Gryffindor. I told you not to help him, Miss Granger. Class dismissed."
"But-" Hermione gave a look to me and I shrugged my shoulders. If he wanted to throw her under the bus, that was her problem. I'd already had detention with him this week and I did not plan to extend it just for being soft hearted. Or at least relatively soft hearted.
I joined the throng of students grabbing their bags and filing to get out of the door. Theodore and Daphne were talking animatedly, he seemed to be convincing her that saving the toad was not actually Neville's doing and she seemed annoyed, as always, that it had been mine.
"I know that was you, Miss Potter," Snape hissed at me quietly, sweeping past me without actually meeting my eyes. I didn't even try to hide my smile as I started to laugh.
"Of course it was, isn't it always?" I called back to him, not caring if the other students heard – they wouldn't realize I was talking ot him anyway thanks to his back facing me. Just as I was squeezing out the door I felt myself be knocked nearly clean off my feet by someone connecting harshly with my shoulder. When I looked back, the grey eyes of Malevolent Malfoy seemed amused by my fall.
That bastard had hit me with his shoulder!
"You're such a bloody fake," I growled at him, going toward the book bag that had scattered across the ground past him. Bending and reaching down with his 'injured' arm, Malfoy picked up the rucksack and handed it to me with a smirk.
"Never, Potter. Not in front of you."
And even though he said it mockingly, I kind of had to acknowledge that he wasn't lying with a smirk. One he returned to me cheekily as he walked away. It was true: Draco Malfoy really didn't lie to me. It was all thanks to him not needing to. After all, we both knew I'd always hate him and that damned smirk anyway.
Based off of my story Green Eyed Monster.
I do not own the Harry Potter universe or its characters. I do own Audrey Potter, her ridiculously vivid potion-making skills, and her wicked nicknames.
Thanks go out to xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, Angel of the Night Watchers, and Dustfinger's cheering section for their reviews.
Enjoy the flashbacks and please review :)